A group of House Democrats released a letter Monday vowing to vote against Nancy Pelosi in the race for House speaker -- the first major, public warning shot from detractors of the California Democrat as they try to kneecap the longtime leader's bid for speaker and their most aggressive move yet.

Joyful Heart Foundation This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we announced a new campaign to share domestic violence survivors’ stories of healing and support. Using the hashtag #SupportAfterDV, we invited survivors in our community to share the ways they were best supported after their experiences on social media or through our anonymous online survey.Our IssuesDomestic Violence

Joyful Heart Foundation It can be difficult for any person experiencing sexual and domestic violence to seek support and find the resources they need. For some Latin@ survivors, cultural and language barriers can add to these challenges. One in three Latin@ women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And 50% […]

Joyful Heart Foundation Each October, we join hundreds of other organizations to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of these issues, share resources, and most importantly, support survivors.Our ProgramsHealingOur IssuesDomestic Violence

Joyful Heart Foundation At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual […]

Anonymous Editor’s note: A survivor’s decision to seek help or report a rape is a personal choice that belongs only to the survivor. Survivors’ bravery and credibility are not dependent on whether they choose to report an assault to authorities or not. All survivors are courageous; their reasons to share their experiences or keep it […]

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we announced a new campaign to share domestic violence survivors’ stories of healing and support. Using the hashtag #SupportAfterDV, we invited survivors in our community to share the ways they were best supported after their experiences on social media or through our anonymous online survey.We were moved by the hundreds […]

It can be difficult for any person experiencing sexual and domestic violence to seek support and find the resources they need. For some Latin@ survivors, cultural and language barriers can add to these challenges. One in three Latin@ women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And 50% of survivors never […]

Each October, we join hundreds of other organizations to recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. DVAM is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of these issues, share resources, and most importantly, support survivors.Domestic violence is widespread and affects people from all walks of life; one in four women and one in seven men have suffered severe […]

At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual event for women […]

In the age of smartphones and smart homes, using technology to harass and abuse has become increasingly common.Digital abuse, or the use of technology to harass or intimidate someone, can take many forms. It can occur at any stage of a relationship and to people of all ages, though it is especially common among teens […]

At Joyful Heart, we know wellness can take many forms, especially for survivors and their loved ones. Tending to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all part of the healing journey. This year we’re joining other organizations to recognize September 26 as National Women’s Health and Fitness Day, an annual event for women […]

Jennifer Fox is an internationally acclaimed producer, director, writer, and camerawoman. The Tale is Fox’s first fiction feature film, which she wrote, directed, and produced. The HBO film is based on Fox’s own life story as the main character, portrayed by Emmy award-winning actress Laura Dern, re-examines her first sexual relationship and the stories we […]

Nancy Nesbitt is the parent representative on the Connecticut Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. She applies her perspective and experiences as a mother of children who were sexually abused at a young age to her work. The task force serves to coordinate agencies in the investigation, intervention, and prosecution of child sexual […]

NPR called it the “assault epidemic no one talks about.” Each year, people with disabilities—physical, mental, intellectual, and others—face disproportionate rates of sexual and domestic violence. And too often, they do not receive the support they need.As many as 1 in 2 disabled women have experienced domestic violence—twice the rate of non-disabled women. People with […]

Joyful Heart’s website now offers Spanish-language resources to make our educational materials about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse accessible to those who speak Spanish, including the more than 40 million Spanish speakers in the United States.One in three Hispanic women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one […]

Healing from trauma looks different for every survivor. At Joyful Heart, our healing programs are based on honoring each survivor’s journey.We recently expanded the core of this work as participants in Blue Shield Foundation of California’s Learning Circle Project, a collaborative learning experience with seven other leading organizations serving domestic violence survivors. The learning circle’s […]

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. For many of us, it will be marked by awareness-raising efforts, days of remembrance and calls to action. It will be a month, though, unchanged by the staggering facts:Every two minutes in the United States, someone is sexually assaulted.One in five women and […]

Big news. This year, We are competing in this year's LA2050 Challenge to win $100,000 to support our holistic healing programs that help survivors heal from sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.With your support, we will evaluate and document our retreat model and create a replication plan for agencies in Los Angeles and beyond […]

September 21, 2018Associated PressAssociated Press NEW YORK — Mariska Hargitay thinks Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has played a huge role in educating people on sexual violence, but believes there is still a lot of work to do.The star of the TV drama spoke as the NBC show celebrated its 20th season Thursday at […]

September 21, 2018NBC Bay AreaLiz Lane Some of the most vocal proponents of the #MeToo movement and droves of other women have come to the defense of Christine Blasey Ford after President Donald Trump questioned her credibility and wondered why she didn’t report her sexual assault at the time she said it happened.In a slew […]

August 30, 2018Times of San DiegoKen Stone In late April, at the height of her successful campaign for district attorney, interim DA Summer Stephan announced she would spend $1 million to test 1,000 rape kits.By the end of August, only 200 kits will have been tested by Bode Cellmark Forensics, a private lab in Virginia, […]

August 29, 2018SF WeeklyIda Mojadad Through public records requests, End the Backlog estimates that more than 13,000 kits are sitting untested on the shelves of California law enforcement—but it still won’t have a complete number unless jurisdictions are mandated to have them. Read the original versionTags: Rape Kitsuntested rape kitsCalifornia

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Love Afterwards

Love, a word that I always say is an action word. Not just a word that is said, but a word that is shown, love is something that you do. By definition, love is an intense feeling of affection.

I often find other survivors asking “How will I ever love again?” To be honest, you will never be able to truly love another person until you first love yourself. When you were in an abusive relationship you were not loved or cared for properly which may have led to you feeling like you are unlovable. Learn to give yourself the love you deserve and did not receive from your abuser. You are loveable, and you are worth loving. You do deserve to love and to be loved.

Take time in getting to re-learn yourself. It is a process. There are no time limits, you take however long you want. Remember, you are a new person now, not exactly the same person that you once used to be. For however long you were in the abusive relationship you were not your true self, and you were led to believe that you were the negative things that this individual bombarded your mind with. You have to retrain yourself from the negative things you were once told and remind yourself of the positive things that you know you are. Continuously repeating these positive words until you wholeheartedly believe them.

Whenever a negative thought comes to mind, pay attention, and then replace it with something positive. For example, if a negative thought like “I’m not good enough.” Comes to mind, instantly stop, and say: “I am good enough.” or “I am more than enough.” If you get the thoughts of “I can’t…” change them to “I can.” and “I will.” Remind yourself of your worth. Remind yourself of how beautiful or handsome that you are.

Do little things for yourself, take long walks on the beach or a park. Buy yourself some flowers. Have a spa day. Maybe even take a short trip(or a long one 🙂 ). Treat yourself to something nice. Do anything that will make you feel good about yourself.

Set small goals that you know you will achieve, and once achieved celebrate! Congratulate yourself, treat yourself. Then set another goal, or maybe a few goals and achieve those as well.

Setting goals and accomplishing them gives you a well-needed self-esteem boost. It makes you feel better about yourself.

Learning to love yourself is an amazing journey. It is quite interesting. When you take the time to self-evaluate, you will be amazed at what you learn about yourself. There may be things that you do not like about yourself and that is fine, this is the time that you can work on them and improve yourself.

For now, focus on loving yourself rather than focusing on finding love. When you are ready, love will find you. You will recognize when a healthy and loving relationship comes and you will be ready for it. But for now, take this time as YOUR time! Focus on getting to know the new and improved you. The stronger, wiser and better YOU! There is love afterwards. There is love after an abusive relationship. The love of loving yourself comes first. It is time for you to put yourself first for once. It is time to enjoy YOU!

Sidenote: For those who enjoy reading, I created a short list of several books on loving yourself below: